Tag: Haythornthwaite

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Newsletter – Mar ’26

Key takeaways from the March 2026 newsletter.

March Event: Penfolds Tasting

  • Date: Wed 11 March, 8pm
  • Cost: Members $18 / Guests $22
  • Format: Panel tasting comparing aged cellar wines vs recent vintages.
  • Lineup highlights: Bin 28 (2006 & 2023), Bin 128 (2007 & 2022), Bin 9 (2012), Bin 138 (2012).
  • Extras: Prize draw for 2006 Bin 28 or 2007 Bin 128.

Club Notices

  • Health: Stay home if unwell.
  • In Memoriam: Former member Mark Haythornthwaite has passed; his 2024 Pinot Noir will be used for a tribute toast.

Recent Event Recap: Askerne (Hawke’s Bay)

  • Attendance: 35 members.
  • Insights: Askerne farms 32ha with 18 varieties; mostly hand‑picked; global wine consumption down to 1961 levels, but NZ exports up 1%.
  • Tasted wines: Rosé 2025, Chardonnay 2024, Viognier 2023, Pinot Gris 2024, CSM 2023, Reserve Merlot/Cab/Malbec 2021, Dessert Cab 2022.

Committee musings

  • Membership drive: Encourage guests; highlight easy access to train/bus.
  • Volunteers: Thanks for setup/pack‑down help.

Coming Up

  • April: Gold Medal/Trophy Wines (2025 NZIWS)
  • May: AGM
  • June: TBC

Feature: Halite Wines (Haidee Johnson)

  • Philosophy: Minimal‑intervention, expressive wines; organic growers; focus on Pinot Noir’s versatility.
  • Signature wine: Light Dry White — Pinot Noir made in a Chardonnay style (Abel clone).

Industry News

  • Millton Winery closing after 41 vintages; final wines discounted.
  • Te Awanga Estate group liquidation: $12m owed; wine club shipments stopped.
  • Wine Grenade liquidation: Tech company collapse due to IT failure; $475k owed.

Vineyard Visit: Swift Wines (Hawke’s Bay)

  • Experience: Casual lawn seating, platter‑basket system, rosé slushies, two sparkling wines.
  • Fun detail: Dachshund mascot appears on labels and greets visitors.

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Another great year

As I sit to prepare this newsletter Celine Dion is singing “Another year has gone by” in the background. Surely not, I say, but it is so. Where has it gone?
We can start by reviewing our year. We began with our summer BBQ at the end of January. The usual excellent occasion and thanks to Derek for continuing to make his premises available. February saw us heading on a “Summer Romance – a love affair with Wine” where some of your committee members presented their favourite summer wines. In March Mark and Susan Haythornthwaite presented some of their “Haythornthwaite” wines and told us of the success they have had adding platters to the tasting experience at their premises.

Unison Wines

In April Simon Bell from MacVine took us on a tour of Europe embracing France, Italy and Germany. May was the usual AGM then in June Unison Vineyards from the Gimblett Gravels in Hawkes Bay presented some lovely wines. July was something of a disappointment when we went to Saigon Van Grill Bar. The meal was lacking, particularly in quantity, and subsequent efforts to redress the problem have been futile. Never mind, we were back on track in August with a great tasting from Clearview.

September saw a continuation with European wines when Maison Vauron gave us a taste of French wine with some cheese matches. Then who could forget Negociants presentation from that iconic Barossa winery, Yalumba.

The tastings for the year finished with a return to Europe, this time Portugal with Confidant Wines, and some great wine with food matches. All this travel and we haven’t had to leave home.

As I finish this Celine has moved on to “Holy Night” and is singing about a night divine. I can’t quite work out if she means Christmas Eve or the December Dinner at Juniper. You be the judge.

Cheers
Robin Semmens, Editor

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Haythornthwaite Wines – March 2018

What a great evening with Mark and Susan. A nice blend of where they have come from and an outline of where the business is going now. Their business in Martinborough has taken an upturn with the introduction of platters at their tasting room. This has guided them into the tourism area and is looking very promising for them.

To recoup on the wines we started with the Rose 2017 as the quaffer. It is a dry style rose but with huge fruit sweetness and flavours of strawberries and raspberries. That was followed by the dry Pinot Gris and the two drier Gewurtztraminer’s. After a break we tasted the 2012 Pinot Noir, followed by the Reserve Pinot from 2013, which was a superb wine. It won a gold medal from the Air NZ Wine Awards. We then finished with the sweet Auslese Gewurztraminer 2013 (Pamela) that is a luscious wine.

Some good orders which was very pleasing for Susan and Mark. There were two things following from the evening. With harvest fast approaching there is often a need for pickers. If you are interested please let them know. Secondly, Haythornthwaite will give Club members a 10% discount at the tasting room. Give it a try, a trip to the Wairarapa, a platter and a tasting of some really nice wines. What more could you want?

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